MiR-146a在类风湿关节炎外周血单个核细胞中的表达及意义

Objectives: To investigate the expression level of miR-146a in PBMCs of RA and its possible regulatory mechanism. Methods: Expression profiling of miRNAs was performed in a microarray analysis. The down-regulated miR-146a in RA was identified for further study including 31 patients of RA and 31 normal controls by real-time PCR. Associations between miR-146a and the clinical and laboratory features of RA were evaluated. The target mRNAs of miR-146a: TRAF6 and IRAK1 levels were detected by real-time PCR. Results: 1. Expression profiling of miRNAs revealed significant differential expression of 46 miRNAs. MiR-146a was much lower in PBMCs of RA than normal controls. 2. Expression level of miR-146a was negatively associated with ESR. 3. Expression levels of miR-146a were significantly decreased in patients with moderate or severe disease activity compared to normal controls. 3. The level of miR-146a was negatively correlated with that of its target mRNAs: IRAK1 and TRAF6. Conclusions: MiR-146a may be a negative indicator of RA disease activity and a down-regulator in RA pathogenesis by serving as a regulator of type I IFN signaling via posttranscriptional regulation of expression of the IRAK1 and TRAF6 proteins.